Cocrystal engineering is a technique for compiling organic molecules via the non-covalent interaction force, resisting severe experimental conditions. By choosing the right ingredients, the donor-acceptor (D-A) molecules can be assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. Under the intermolecular interaction, like π–π interactions, halogen bonds, hydrogen bonds, and cocrystal can not only exhibit the intrinsic properties of their ingredients but also exhibit some novel properties, which can comprehend the “1+1>2” effect. So cocrystal strategy has the benefit of designing multifunctional substances.
Researchers overseen by Prof. Xiaotao Zhang at Tianjin University, China, are designing a multifunctional organic cocrystal material. They attained a Flu-TCNQ cocrystal with integrated optoelectronic characteristics, which is limited because of the contradiction between the luminescent and electric properties of organic substances. Several researchers have attained the integration of photoelectric elements by bringing up specific functional structures, but it is time-consuming and hard to balance the two properties. Most of the organic optoelectronic materials collected by this method display a blue or green emission, and few materials display red emission. And these optoelectronic materials primarily exhibit p-type charge transfer behavior.
Zhang et al. chose the Flu as the luminescence component due to its good luminescence, broadened π-conjugated plans, and prosperous electrons properties. They authorized the TCNQ as the electrical building block, a conventional n-type semiconductor that can deliver a solid electron-withdrawing capacity. Both compositions were effortlessly obtained, averting the tedious synthetic routes.
Their work delivers an effective solution to the deficit of organic materials with integrated optoelectronic properties.
